]]>https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/recipe-double-chocolate-truffles/feed/0252004 Simple Steps to your Brand’s Success on Instagramhttps://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/promoting-events-instagram/
https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/promoting-events-instagram/#respondTue, 13 Feb 2018 23:02:10 +0000https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/?p=25138Read More...]]> It is widely known that Facebook and Twitter are incredibly important aspects of event promotion and brand marketing. Instagram, however, has grown so much in recent years that it is now the third piece – creating a trifecta that cannot be ignored if you want to build a successful brand in the long term. Instagram can feel a bit daunting at first, given that it is a strictly visual platform, but with the right guidance you’ll be an expert in no time.

Create a Separate Business Account

I often hear event promoters mention that they promote their events on their personal account, which is a great way to get the word out to a smaller group of friends and family. In the long run, if you don’t have a separate account for your events (and essentially your brand) you are doing yourself a disservice. A separate business account will showcase your efforts and streamline all of your past, present, and future events. Just be sure to post the event link in your account profile bio. Instagram limits sales capabilities within captions, so the only hyperlink text on accounts can be found within your main bio. When you caption a photo be sure to reference the ticket link and where to find it.

Post Relevant, Quality Images

You want to remember to post images that promote interest and intrigue around your brand and your events. You will want to decide on a theme or angle for your account as a whole for potential followers. The simplest way to go about this is to stick with a particular color scheme, filter, or even a similar angle or point of view. When you think about certain professional accounts you follow on Instagram, chances are they all use this road map to some degree. Every image has a cohesive feel whether that be with content, color, or image tone. This cohesive nature and quality content plays a large role in gaining followers and continuing the long-term success of the account.

Build a Loyal Following and Hashtag with Precision

It sounds trivial, but the amount of likes and follows your account receives will likely determine how your brand and account is perceived by potential followers. You want your account to shine through and showcase your efforts to pull these followers in to increase your numbers. Engagement is a crucial component to successful Instagram marketing in order to raise the amount of likes and follows your account receives. “Liking” and commenting admiration or praise on various user’s content (by way of applicable hashtags) will get you noticed by potential followers further.

Before hashtag-ing your content, do some research. Take time to determine your target demographic and relevant hashtags for your events. You want to hashtag your images so that they can be easily found on Instagram. All hashtags are grouped so if you tag relevant, popular content your image will get discovered by potential followers. You want your hashtags to get you seen, but you do not want to stray too far from the content. If you’re hashtagging popular tags, but they are not applicable to your image, your credibility will be lowered. Once an image is located by a potential follower they will typically go to your main account and scroll through your images to decide if you are someone they wish to follow, which is why you want to make your account content memorable.

In addition to researching hashtags you will want to create and promote your own hashtag. By creating and promoting your own hashtag, it allows others to assist with content creation and will give you a chance to locate all fan images from your events. Make it something unique enough to only have images pertaining to your events, and remind followers to utilize the hashtag to continue building hype around your events.

Stay on your Attendee’s Radar

Continue posting content regularly to build your brand and excitement around your events. Posting during hi-traffic times will ensure wider visibility. Typically early morning and weekday evenings works best or maximum reach. Make sure you give your attendees all the information they need to consider purchasing tickets, and always reference that ticket link when appropriate. Feel free to keep your posts fresh by mixing up your captions a bit. Caption some of your posts with questions pertaining to the event, such as, “What song are you looking forward to hearing from the artist?” Or, what aspect they’re most excited for regarding the event. This type of engagement builds loyalty and gets your fans excited and involved with your content.

Keep in mind that this isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. It will take creativity and time to build your content and following. If you do it right and with passion, you will easily be able to build the hype needed to sell out your next event.

]]>https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/promoting-events-instagram/feed/025138From Shelter to Soldier: Saving Lives, Two at a Timehttps://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/shelter-to-soldier-donation/
https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/shelter-to-soldier-donation/#respondThu, 08 Feb 2018 22:40:39 +0000https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/?p=25181Read More...]]>Every month we get a plethora of online submissions through our suggestion page of good causes to send Brown Paper Tickets’ monthly donation to. Looking over the hundreds of entries each month renews my faith in humanity at a time when the world seems so low. Organizations fighting for human rights, food equality, the environment, animal justice, mental and physical health awareness and treatment, plus grassroots organizations out of homes, and large established fund raising organizations. They all have one truth in common, they were born out of the desire to help.

For us here at Brown Paper Tickets, it is not just the opportunity to donate to some of these fine organizations, but to amplify their voice and share their mission with you. We hope that our readership, event organizers, and attendees see something worthwhile in these causes and connect with them too. We research many organizations each month and lean towards smaller non-profits that have low overhead and administrative costs so that our donation can hopefully have a direct impact.

Shelter to Soldier in California is making an impact by adopting unwanted shelter dogs, often of high kill breeds, and putting them through an intensive training course to serveas a “psychiatric service dogs for post-9/11 combat veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and/or other injuries associated with traumatic service experiences.”

According to their site, in the United States, on average we lose 21 vets and active Military to suicide a day. We also lose 3,200 dogs a day to euthanization in our shelters. Pairing these two groups together can have a dramatic impact on both parties lives.

Miesha is photographed by Allison Shamrell Per Photography FB: @allisonshamrellphotography

Feel free to have some fun and check out their newest canine class here: http://www.sheltertosoldier.org/dogs/

If you have a box of tissues handy, view some Shelter to Soldier success stories here: http://www.sheltertosoldier.org/stories/

]]>https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/shelter-to-soldier-donation/feed/02518120 Ways to Keep Costs Down At Your Next Food and Beverage Eventhttps://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/cutting-costs-at-food-events/
https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/cutting-costs-at-food-events/#respondTue, 06 Feb 2018 18:45:46 +0000https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/?p=25152Read More...]]>A cost-effective food and beverage event takes hard work, attention to detail and careful planning, but it can be done.

Here are 20 ways to save money and trim the fat without compromising quality:

1. Act extra nice when negotiating costs and dealing with service providers. If you’re polite and reasonable when asking for a better deal, chances are you’ll get it.

2. Avoid peak season when choosing your event date. Book during off-peak, when there aren’t a lot of other events going on. More events mean rigid and higher prices.

3. Make a list of all the essentials and have at least five options with reasonable prices for each. More options will make it easier to shuffle things around and cut costs.

4. Set a clear, reasonable budget and stick to it. Knowing how much you can spend from the beginning will help you prioritize when planning your event.

5. Partner with other makers and producers. If you are hosting a wine dinner, ask a winery you like to sponsor your event. These relationships often work out well for both parties, as you can help get their name out.

6. Choose reasonably priced beverages. The beverage industry is packed with affordable, high-quality beverage options. Shop around and taste everything—not only is it fun, it will give you a chance to save some cash.

7. Buy in-season produce and flowers. You will not only discover the freshest local ingredients and blooms, you will find cheaper prices due to the abundance.

8. Borrow what you don’t have. Reach out to friends and family and ask if they have what you need for your event. You never know—Nana might have a closet full of stylish vintage cutlery and tablecloths ready to show off.

9. Portion control is one of the biggest ways to save money with a food and beverage event. Keep an eye on the RSVP list but wait until your headcount is confirmed to do your shopping.

10. Negotiate everything. A price tag doesn’t mean the price is set in stone. You can also offer something in exchange—naming the caterer to reduce food costs. Always ask and always be polite.

11. Keep your event casual. Formal events require a lot of little extras and your guests will appreciate laid-back, let-loose vibe. A causal event also offers flexibility when it comes to venue selection—for example, air conditioning might not be necessary if guests can wear t-shirts and shorts.

12. Skip the DJ and make your own playlist. Download your own music or use an app like Spotify.

13. Don’t over serve. Everyone should get enough food and alcohol, but ensure your food and beverage portions are reasonable to eliminate waste and save money.

14. Keep registration simple. Eliminate the need for the guest to do anything beyond registering. This will free up labor that would normally be spent answering emails and taking calls from confused attendees.

15. Plan your marketing budget carefully. Appeal to food bloggers and use social media to promote your events. These methods are significantly cheaper than purchasing ad space or a radio spot.

16. Choose your venue carefully. Instead of getting quotes from 5 different venues, try 10. Once you have quotes and understand the pros and cons of each venue, you can start to negotiate. Ask them to come down on the costs if you really like the space, but have a cheaper option on your list.

17. Source reasonably priced food when ingredient shopping. Finding high quality ingredients at a fair price is easier than you think—you just have to shop around. Head to farmers markets late in the day and you will get a good deal when buying large quantities of an item.

18. Do a plated meal instead of a buffet. Serving food portioned for each guest will give you complete control over food cost. If you want to go more casual, have a set amount of light appetizers (between 3-5 pieces per person).

19. Pair wine, beer, or cider with each course. Prix fixe beverage selection and meals will allow you to tailor the guests’ experience and control portions at the same time.

Hosting an event on Brown Paper Tickets? Congrats. Creating a visually compelling and informative event page is a key factor to selling out your event.

Before you create your event page, the first thing to do is brainstorm various aspects that are important to highlight. To do this, consider events that have attracted you in the past.

Were they visually appealing? Did the description spark interest and intrigue? Take what inspires you and translate that into your event creation. Along with a clear and compelling event name, you will want to create a compelling event description and short description.

The short description will display in search results, in our weekly event mailing list and third-party event calendars. It is a summary of your full description with intriguing aspects of your full description.

Give potential attendees all the information they need, so they have no lingering questions that could delay ticket purchase.

Highlight what attendees should expect, and the unique aspects that set your event apart from similar events.

Use bullet points to display key information so the information is easy for readers to scan.

Add a visual component next. Do you have high-quality images of the artist or event flyer? If so, upload it onto the event itself; this will further polish the professional look of your page. Feature the artist you’re promoting by uploading recent live performances, artist interviews, or anything relative to the performers and the event. Think about the possible attendees that have never heard of the artist and display any work that you think highlights the artist best. To make a bigger impact, upload the material into the event description to appear full frame so that everyone can gain a feel for the genre, style, and sound. Unsure how to post a YouTube video full frame? This simple tutorial has you covered.

You can also use basic HTML coding to hyperlink artist’s websites, social media pages, or relevant interviews or articles. This can also help boost your presence and improve page ranking on search engines such as Google. You can see exactly how things will look on your page with our tutorial here.

Now, let’s talk about sales incentives. Buyers often wait until the last minute to purchase tickets. Offering an incentive to those who secure their spots early on can jumpstart your sales and give you an idea on “where you are” in promoting your event.

How to incentivize attendees to buy early:

Create a higher day-of or door price

Have early bird pricing or tiered pricing that rises closer to the event

Offer priority seating or entry to the first ( x ) people that secure tickets

To tie up all loose ends on your event page, you will want to link your Facebook Event and Twitter account to your Brown Paper Tickets event page. Linking everything will allow for a smooth transition for possible attendees to further get a feel for your event and performers.

You can further boost your search engine ranking by implementing basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques. That way, when people search certain key terms, they’ll easily find your event. Avoid copying and pasting. Vary your event description from one site to the next—search engines don’t like duplicate content, so use different descriptions wherever you list your event. Make sure you add keywords—if you’re hosting a theater or music event, add “music” or “musical” or “”theater” to help your event appear in search results. But don’t jam your descriptions full of these terms; use them naturally. Read this post for more event-related SEO tips and techniques.

]]>https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/event-marketing-event-pages/feed/125097Bundling Tickets, Merchandise and Common Sensehttps://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/indie-music-online-ticketing/
https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/indie-music-online-ticketing/#commentsThu, 18 Jan 2018 19:20:10 +0000https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/?p=25088Read More...]]>Lately, I have been talking to independent artists about “fan club” ticketing and how it can really work for them. By the way, I hate the term “fan club.” Not only does it remind me of The Bay City Rollers, but it also disguises the benefits that taking control of your ticketing offers. For that reason, I refer to it as “advanced ticketing,” but that’s enough about my hang-ups.

When booking shows, it is common to get 10-15% of the potential ticket sales to sell to your fans, or community, anyway you want. These tickets are designated to be either sold or returned to the venue/promoter before tickets become available to the general public. Typically, this must be agreed to an arranged at the time of booking. You may run into stumbling blocks. If you meet resistance from a venue or promoter about this, I recommend pushing for it to a point, but be careful not to tick them off.

Why Advanced Ticketing is Worth It

A few reasons make advanced ticketing worthwhile. One is that it gives you a reason to talk about a show or tour, with your community or fan base, much earlier than you normally would. If you were to simply announce a show three months in advance, there would be little reason for anyone to pay attention. But if there is a limited amount of VIP tickets or something offered with the advanced ticket purchase, it becomes more noteworthy and memorable. Whether or not people buy advanced tickets, the event has been acknowledged and will be more familiar and welcomed when you or the venue/promoter do the second round of promotion.

Advanced tickets appeal to fans for a variety of reasons. Some come from a distance and want to make sure they will get in. Or you’re just that good and easily sell out every show. But much more likely (no offense), it is because they like your music and want to support you.

So Many Ways to Bundle

If you are lucky enough to have a lot of people who want advance tickets, make the most of it. Bundle the ticket with a discounted copy of your new album, t-shirt, DVD or a combination of any of the above. You can even offer a VIP package at a ridiculous price. Note that the value of the ticket must be kept to face value, or what the venue/producer will charge. The extra charge is for the extra merchandise/value you give in the package.

When people purchase online, they are more likely to add on to the purchase if they are getting a special deal. Offering advance tickets with merchandise also allows timid folks to buy your merchandise without having to approach your merch table.

Choose the best option for delivering the merch. You may choose to ship it immediately, which gets your new album heard earlier than if purchased at your show. And if it gets passed around at all, before your show (and it is liked), people are more likely to attend than if they never heard you at all.

If you don’t want to, or just can’t ship out merch to your customers, you can have them pick up their orders at the show. At least you will know the minimum amount of items you need and where on the tour you will need them.

It may seem like a lot of work to sell an extra CD or T-shirt here and there, but once you get a method down, it will go faster. And the more people see this and get used to it, the more comfortable they will become with ordering. These days, every sale is important. So even if you only sell a couple advance ticket/merch bundles per show, they add up. Plus there’s a chance that those sales may not have occurred the day of the show.

Those who do not have this infrastructure will need to get something in place, or find a service that can fulfill their needs, and not take too big a piece of the already small pie. This can be tough when you are not guaranteed a ton of sales right away. There are plenty of services for ticketing and merchandise fulfillment, but most of them charge a set up fee, have big fees for your customers, take a large percentage of the sales or all of the above.

“The more you keep in-house, the more revenue streams are open for you to tap into”

Brown Paper Tickets is a great service for artists and small labels to use for implementing the concept of advanced ticket bundled with merch sales. I am not saying this because I work here. I work here because of their business practices. There are no minimum sales requirements, it is completely free for the artist/label and I truly believe our services and tools are great.

No matter how you do it or what service you use (if any), it makes common sense to take control of your advanced ticketing and turn it into additional promotion and/or revenue.

In fact, for truly independent artists, take control of as much of the business side of your career as possible. You’ll need help and a team, but the more you keep in-house, the more revenue streams are open for you to tap into.

When it comes to promotion, there are a lot of options, and it can be difficult to know where to start. The key to effectively marketing your event is establishing a relationship with your potential ticket buyers. Before you take a look at how you want to promote your event, you will need to understand who you are promoting to – this is called your target audience.

Your target audience is the demographic group of people most likely to be interested in your event. If you have a sense of the type of people most likely to attend your event, you can market your event far more effectively.

Let’s start with an example:

Let’s say you have a stack of 100 flyers advertising the jazz show you’re putting on this Friday, and you’re trying to figure out the best way to pass them out. Sure, you could just walk down the street and hand the flyers to the first 100 people you see, but there’s no reason to assume that these folks have any interest in jazz, and many of your flyers would probably end up in the trash.

Now let’s say instead of choosing people at random, you hand out your flyers outside a popular instrument repair shop, or leave a stack in the local record store. You’ll find that far more of your flyers find their way into the hands of music lovers.

By targeting a specific demographic, (music fans in this example) where they’re likely to spend time (music stores) you’re wasting less flyers, getting more positive response, and interacting with people who are more likely to buy tickets to your event–or even become long-term fans.

This same concept applies to every type of promotion–social media, traditional media, posters– whatever methods you use to market your event. The effectiveness of your promotion is determined by knowing who your target audience is, and how to reach them.

What is a customer profile?

The idea of a “target audience” may seem like an abstract concept, but it’s not– your potential ticket buyers are real people with interests, habits, likes, dislikes, and–most importantly– shared traits that can help you effectively reach them with your promotion. To understand who these people are, start by create a customer profile- a “portrait” of your ideal ticket buyer. A common starting point for creating this profile is by looking at your audience demographics, including:

Age

Location

Gender

Occupation

Family status

Income level

Education level

Hobbies

Interests

Shopping habits

Values

Behaviors

From this demographic information, you can then ask yourself more specific questions:

How can I adjust my message to appeal to this demographic?

What type of social media promotion is most likely to draw the attention of my target audience?

How might my target audience respond to advertising in traditional media sources, such as newspapers, event calendars or radio stations?

Where does my target audience spend time, and can I use this information to better reach them with my advertising?For example: If you’re putting on an opera, you want to reach opera fans. What age range do you tend to see at the opera in your area? Are there a lot of people from the age of 18-24, or more 35-55 ? (Hint: you can sometimes find event demographic data online depending on what type of event you’re putting on, to test this out, try Googling “Opera Attendee Demographics”)

Let’s say you find that the average age of your attendee is 48 years old, that’s already useful information. Many studies break down trends in social media usage among different age groups, and you can use the data from these studies to assess what social media platform will best reach a potential customer based on criteria such as their age. The Pew Research Center offers a good starting point for social media usage data.

Studies have shown that a 48 year old is statistically far more likely to be on Facebook than Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or Snapchat. So instead of spreading your promotion efforts across every social media platform, focus on the one that’s most likely to work.

Customer profiles will vary depending on the specifics of your event. A punk show will draw a different crowd than an opera, and the way you promote these events will be different, but understanding the concept behind targeted advertising will help you adapt your marketing to best reach your potential attendees, and will ensure that you aren’t wasting your money promoting in ways that don’t reach the right people. While data and research can help you more effectively promote, you can also identify your target audience through observation:

Think about your past attendees. If you have done events in the past that are similar to your current event, this puts you at an advantage. If you are able to, keep your past attendees up to date on your upcoming events, and consider how they heard about your events in the first place.

Ask yourself: am I part of my own target audience? If you fit the profile of the type of person you’re trying to reach, think carefully about where you would best be reached by marketing, and plan your promotional strategies accordingly.

Take a look at similar events in your area. Do some research into the methods other event producers in your area use to promote their events. Social media makes it much easier to see how events are marketed. Do you see a lot of paid Facebook ads for events in your area? Do you see event organizers asking people to join their email list? Have you noticed print advertising or calendar listings for events similar to yours?

Compile a list of relevant places to advertise your event. Think about this broadly: if you get a lot of college students at your events, think about how your average college student gets their information (social media, college bulletin boards, flyers in on-campus laundromats, libraries etc.) How about an older demographic? Might they rely more on traditional media? Calendar listings? Posters?)

Lastly, an excellent way to make contact with your target audience is to think about any contacts you might have within the community you are trying to reach. If you have even just one friend, colleague or employee who is willing to help you with your event and has a solid network within your target audience, they can be a great asset in promoting your event. They could send out invitations to all their friends on Facebook, post your event on social media and have it seen (and ideally shared!) by their friends who share similar interests.

The last step in effectively marketing to your target audience is remembering to think ahead about future events. At your next event, pay careful attention to who attends. Consider putting a questionnaire on your ticketing page that asks attendees how they heard about your event, and using this information to refine your advertising in the future.

If you have more questions about defining your target audience, contact our promotions team.

1. Identify Your Objective Value Propositions

Value Proposition describes an innovation, service, or feature intended to make a company or product attractive to customers. In the realm of promoting your event, you will want to find the “golden nugget” of your event, i.e. your event’s value proposition. To help you find it, ask yourself these questions:

What is it about your show that makes new ticket buyers want to spend their hard-earned dollars?

What makes your event worth the price? Ticket at any price, but the higher the price, the more you will need to justify value.

The answers to these questions are what will attract press to cover your event and ticket buyers to your show. Add your unique value propositions to the event title, description and headline of your press release.

Find Your Superlatives

Superlatives can raise the value of the event. Brainstorm, research and highlight your event’s objective (not subjective) superlatives. Journalists rely on facts, not opinions, so your event superlatives must be provable.

Examples of objective superlatives:

– Award-winning performers (specify award and date received)
– Largest or only event by any measure? Any metric can be used to make the superlative accurate, but you have to be able to back up your claim in one sentence. (Examples: Biggest beer tasting in _____. First film festival in ___ . The longest running theater in ____. )

The press won’t be able to use the following superlatives because they aren’t provable by objective measures:

Wildest
Most fun
Greatest _____ -est of its kind

2. Identify 5 Target Media Outlets

Ask or poll your fans what media outlet they read or watch regularly. The answer is more and more likely to be a blog, a newsletter, a social media outlet, or other non-traditional media. This is good news, as many non-traditional media have shorter deadlines and more spots for stories.

Gather your fan’s responses. Then take out media outlets that do not influence your local market because locals are more likely to buy tickets to your event. The remaining top 5 on this list are your targets.

3. Localize to the Largest Community Possible

Localize your event to create an attractive angle for the press to cover. Readers and viewers have more interest in what happens to people and places they know.

Add a location name to the title of your event and choose the largest community possible (i.e., the Northwest Beer Festival would attract more news value than the Bellingham Beer Festival).

However, if the smaller place of localization generates greater interest, use that. For instance, a Hollywood burlesque festival could sell more than a Los Angeles burlesque festival because of Hollywood’s caché.

How to do itGet the hometown, neighborhood and professional high-resolution headshot for every performer in the event, and write an email to the appropriate reporter at his/her neighborhood blog (if it’s in your possible attendee coverage area) to alert them about the “hometown girl/boy done good story” with your event as the hook.

4. Make Your Pitch Picture Perfect

Media outlets need good visuals to get clicks, likes and shares. Find a photo or video that shows this visual aspect of your event. Keep in mind that media outlets typically won’t publish a photo or video unless it’s G-rated.

How to do itInvest in professional headshots as well as at least one performance photo, all in high resolution.

If you are producing a show with multiple performers, ask them for headshots as soon as you book them for your show. You don’t want to lose a story because you don’t have photography ready.

Television stations aren’t likely to use promotional videos with music, graphics, credits or logos embedded over the video. Hire a videographer to get natural sound, close-up footage to maximize your media coverage.

5. Submit Free Calendar Listings

You have a great localized value proposition. You have an enticing event description and pitch subject line. You included at least one eye-catching visual. Time to get the word out.

Calendar listings are the low-hanging fruit of the publicity world. They are easy to get and almost always generate ticket sales (as long as you have successfully done steps 1-4).

Submitting a free calendar listing for your event is simple. Newsletter, blog or even The New York Times, every publication has an event listing. And you can be part of it if you complete the first four steps and closely follow event submission instructions.

How to do itTake your new top five media outlet list. Go to the online events section for every special interest group, blog or media outlet. Search for “how to submit an event” and follow the directions. If you can’t find it, send the press contact a short email that describes your event. Ask the publication if they would write about it or include it in the topics they share with their community.

Boom. Your event is now listed on every single one of your top five media targets websites.

Editorial teams frequently look at their calendar listings when assigning stories. Therefore, this effort increases the likelihood of an additional, more in-depth story. There are many ways to amp the press for your event. But these basics ensure that the press you get goes further to help you achieve your goals and reach new levels of success.

]]>https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/get-press-coverage-for-events/feed/125080Go Green: 15 Secrets for a Fabulous, Eco-friendly Food Eventhttps://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/go-green-eco-friendly-events/
https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/go-green-eco-friendly-events/#respondMon, 11 Dec 2017 18:37:54 +0000https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/?p=25119Read More...]]> Before you get too far into your event planning, consider its carbon footprint. Making your food event eco-friendly is not only a social responsibility; it’s also a good way to save some dough. Plus, consumers are making more environmentally conscious purchase decisions and greening your event could lead to more ticket sales.

Here are 15 steps:

1. Swap disposable for second hand. Instead of bottled water, use mason jars as glasses. Instead of buying imported tablecloths, scour the local thrift stores.

2. Do the math. Save money and reduce impact by carefully calculating the amounts of food, drinks and other goods. This will ensure you don’t have a lot of leftovers.

3. Make your guests aware of your environmental efforts. They’ll make more of an effort to use the proper receptacles and may leave inspired to take extra environmental measures in their own lives.

4. Carefully consider your location. Give your guests green travel options such as walking, biking or public transportation. Make it a goal to minimize fossil fuel used to transport event-goers.

5. Go local for food, flowers and linens. Not only will you support the local economy, by eliminating long-distance delivery, you’re reducing fossil fuel emissions.

6. Be choosy when it comes to food. Whenever possible, make sure your food is organic, seasonal, fair trade, no or low packaging and locally sourced.

7. Allow guests to pour their own water instead of filling glasses on the table. This will cut water waste.

8. Up-cycle as many objects as you can. Consignment shopping not only saves money, it ends the cycle of manufacturing. Buy your glasses, plates, silverware and other items from thrift stores or borrow them.

15. Allow your guests to go casual. When people have to dress formally, they will need their clothes dry-cleaned. Air-conditioning is a must for a black-tie event in the summer; allowing guests to dress comfortably eliminates the need for climate control.

]]>https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/go-green-eco-friendly-events/feed/0251196 Event Details You Should Never Ignorehttps://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/event-permits-event-planning/
https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/event-permits-event-planning/#respondTue, 28 Nov 2017 16:00:28 +0000https://community.brownpapertickets.com/wp/?p=25058Read More...]]>Whether it’s a farm dinner, charity benefit, pop-up restaurant or other event, it’s easy to focus on the big three: food, location, decor. But it’s the less glamorous, often overlooked logistics that can make an event the best night ever … or a total nightmare.

Pay close attention to these details to ensure a hiccup-free event day.

1. Permits and Paperwork

Established restaurants, catering halls and other venues will likely have all necessary permits. But keep in mind that loud music, the hours of your event and even dancing may put it outside of the space’s “usual business,” and require additional paperwork, such as a sound permit.

Spaces that don’t typically host food events may require you to take out a full event permit. Make sure your space’s Certificate of Occupancy is current and will accommodate the number of people you plan to host. If you’re entertaining in a public space, such as a park, town square, public building, you will have to take out permits from your local city government agency (Parks Department, Department of Buildings, etc.).

Rules vary by city and state. Grilling, selling tickets, selling alcohol, restricting space from public use and your event’s hours name some factors that could determine the kind of permit you’ll need.

2. Alcohol Permits

It’s extremely important to file a permit to serve alcohol—these should be on hand at all times should you undergo an inspection. Some event permits come with a booze clause, but not all. Make sure you have everything in writing.

The local agency that grants you an alcohol permit will consider the length of your event, time of day, proximity to schools or churches and the type alcohol you plan to serve (beer and wine only, or full liquor). Make these decisions early and stick to them as changing a permit you’ve applied for may be difficult.

More restrictions (depending on locality) apply when it comes to the sale of alcohol at events; permits to sell are different than permits to serve.

Do some research on your local regulations and determine what will work best for you. In some instances, there are workarounds. For example, instead of selling beer directly, an event can sometimes sell tickets that attendees can redeem for beer. Consult a legal professional if you have any questions about permits.

3. Event Insurance

Each space is unique and may pose its own risks for attendees. Work closely with your team and the location’s team to ensure you have proper insurance to cover potential accidents (including food poisoning). Many venues may come with basic insurance, but expect the organizer to take on additional liability. Know what you are covered for, at what level and for how many people.

Run your event insurance paperwork (again: always get it in writing) by a lawyer. When it comes to insurance, better safe than sorry is the right attitude.

4. Inclement Weather Plans

You can spend months planning an exciting event, only to have to cancel at the last minute due to weather. Clearly, rain is a factor for outdoor events, but even if you plan to be indoors, there are many unforeseeable weather-related factors that could prevent attendees from reaching your location.

Have a rain plan well in advance of your event. Renting tents, securing an alternate location or having a rain date, may cost you a more time and money, but will pay dividends if the worst happens and you don’t have to waste all of that incredible food.

If you are working with restaurant partners who will order their products in advance, discuss your inclement weather plan. Paying for food you can’t use may take a hefty bite out of your budget.

5. Food Allergies and Your Menu

Every chef wants to serve a bit of mystery with a wonderful food experience. However, food allergies are serious and it’s important to clearly label menu items and spell out ingredients.

Make it known at check-in that a food list is available upon request. Ask attendees to email you about food allergies when they buy their tickets and provide alternatives. You’re not obligated to accommodate every attendee, but transparency is key.

6. Where You Source Ingredients

What and from where, you source the food you’ll serve is a less formal, but equally important consideration. Many food event ticket buyers want to know where your produce, meat and dairy come from and whether it’s organic, local or fair trade. The extra care you take in purchasing high-quality ingredients reflects on your overall vision and your community.

For example, if you work for a nonprofit concerned with migrant workers’ labor rights, you would be remiss to serve food produced on factory farms and in processing plants, as these types of places have a reputation for labor injustices. Your choices at all levels of the event reveal who you are and what you stand for. Be consistent.

These are just a few important details to consider as you plan your next big bash. Of course, all of the permit regulations will vary by your location. Leave yourself enough runway to seek legal advice and get all of your paperwork in order. Then focus on the fun stuff.

Got a question about this article? Our event specialist is happy to assist. Reach out.